Rates that earn Points and those that don't
 

Spoke to a PC Customer Relations Agent a couple of weeks ago on another matter and I mentioned that I really wish that it was clear upfront which rates do and which rates don't earn points. The agent mentioned that some hotels give points for all rates while most give them only for rack, corporate and nationally negotiated rates (AAA, AARP for example). She did say that Great Rates always earn points but I have seen mention on this forum that some members did not receive points for Great Rates.

What I would like to know is which hotels give points for all rate- esp the entertainment rate and other deeply discounted rates. I tried to ask the agent for such a list but she just kept repeating that it is up to the indivdual hotel. I assume she really did not have a list of hotels that give points for every rate.

Do any FT's know for example if there are hotels in Utah that give points for every rate?

Perhaps we could keep a thread going where we list hotels that do give points for all rates.

My understanding is (was) that if you book through the IC Hotels website then whatever rate you choose gets points!

Untrue. The Entertainment rate (ER) that can be booked through IC/PC website won't earn points, miles or stay. It is considered as a deeply discounted rate and therefore not eligible for points. I should know, I wasted 60$ at the CP LAX in January under an ER. After two weeks, I called and asked why the points were not in my account yet and was responded that this rate doesn't qualify.

I think it's a new rule, because last year ER would qualify.

This is the correct scoop.. Any rate on PC website will give you pionts w/the exception of entertainment rate. :( Most expedia,hotwire,ect.. will not qualify..

IC Cali Colombia
does not give points when using the buy 1 nite get 1 nite free weekend certs

i had to write the ambassador club service center - twice, to get the points added

The problem I encountered last year with two stays, one a Great Rates and the other a Corporate Rate [against which I had always until then received points] seemed to come from the fact that the check-in agents at both properties miscoded my rate so it appeared on the check-out folio as a Travel Industry rate, rather than the one it was booked at. I received all my stay benefits, but it took months of faxes to finally get the appropriate credits fro PC.

The explanation in the above posts is correct: all rates booked on the PC site, except for Entertainment Book rates, qualify for points. However, I don't believe any third party bookings [expedia, tavelocity, priceline] now qualify unless these are at rack or negotiated corporate rates.

And the IC Cali should have given credit for the paid night of the two night certificate stay. I have never had one of these discounted, and they show as 2 nights credit, not just the single paid night.

I was just denied points at a Holiday Inn in that I booked through my corp travel site (AMEX). I had gotten points for these stays in the past. The explanation I got on email (after submitting request for missing credit) was the rate was 30% below the typical rate, whatever that means.

Is this a PC policy, or something coming out of the individual hotel?

As a PC member since '84 I have truely had all types of situtions come up. From what I have been told, by cs is that if the rate falls below 70% of rack rate then it does not qualify for pc points, :td: But when I have not gotten points for a stay ie: (12 days in Feb 05 Atlanta CP at Delta Rate of $49.50 & getting up'ed to top fl.w/plat up'g) :D ^ I call cs and w/kindness and ask why no points,to which I get told rate does not qualify,and then innocently question this as it was booked on website.. I will not guarantee you it will always work, but for me 8 out of ten times I have gotten points!!! So maybe give it a try..

The 30% rule is nonsense and should, I think, only apply to negotiated corporate rates that are 30% below rack. Anything on the website should get points.

In the last 2 months I have also got points from an Ambassador voucher night stay (and 2 nights credit) and a '2 for 1' sale stay in the UK at a laughably low £25 per night which got me points and night credit.

Now that we've managed to get PC to provide detailed online statements that breakdown the source of our points and bonuses, the next initiative should be to get a clear confirmation that a booked stay will quality for points. This should be a simple matter, as we AMBASSADORS already get a clear statement in RED INK that our benefits do not qualify on bookings with CPs, HIs and the other brands. Surely, PC can do the same to advise that THIS STAY WILL NOT EARN PC POINTS. Imagine all the time this will save at call centres...

I agree!


I agree!

Perhaps if every at every opportunity we FT'ers let PC know our feelings on this issue something would get done. I personally am mentioning this in the "comment line" in every survey I fill out and I mention it whenever I speak to a PC rep on any matter. If more PC members would voice the same concern (over and over) it will get through to management.

Just an update on my situation. I mentioned that I had colleagues that have gotten credit for stays at the same hotel, same corporate rate, in some cases same night! All true. Not to mention I've gotten credit for previous stays at same rate and same hotel.

Of course, their answer? They wanted me to send them the PC numbers of the colleagues so they could "further research the situation". ;) And that they "eagerly await my reply."

Obviously I'm not going to do that.... so I'll stick with HHonors more often than not. Which is a shame, as there are some very nice (newer) properties within PC...

Priority Club has never been very clear on exactly what is a "qualifying rate." While their T&Cs do tell us a little as to what is "non-qualifying", including "50% travel club discount rates" (Entertainment), "most rates booked through most third party web sites" (Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline), etc., exactly what is a "qualifying rate" is not explained anywhere in the T&Cs. (See below) I'm not sure if a negotiated corporate rate falls within any of these categories ("net wholesale group rate"? "employee discount rate"?), but this rate does seem to be treated as the other rates named, in that sometimes points are earned and sometimes not. Could the negotiated corporate rate actually be (in general) a non-qualifying rate?

Concerning making PC post exactly if a rate/stay will or will not earn points, I fear we may have been looking at all this the wrong way. Perhaps, we are not meant to get any points at all for these rates in question, but because sometimes these rates are within 30% of the rack rate, points are given (an informal rule?), or if it is actually the individual properties that are responsible for giving stay points (as has been put forth in this and other threads), with PC being responsible for any promo points, have these individual properties sometimes been lenient in their awarding of points, or have awarded points simply in ignorance or error?

By requiring PC to define a qualifying rate and whether a stay would or would not earn points/stay credit, would we be forcing PC (and by extension, the individual properties) to stick strictly to the T&Cs, doing away with any points or stay credit for ANY "non-qualifying" stays as defined above? Would we end up with a VERY short list of "qualifying" stay rates, in essence, reducing/limiting the number of situations where one can earn points or stay credit?

While I, for one, would prefer to have firm knowledge of what is a qualifying rate and whether I will get points/stay credit on a rate/stay (not because I'm "points crazy" but rather because I'm someone who prefers to "know" how things stand rather than be "kept guessing", and besides, as I very rarely use or am able to use any of the rates in question, will not be greatly affected by a limiting of the number of qualifying stay rates), others (who depend more on the rates in question) may feel differently if they were to lose the ability to get any points whatsoever on these rates.

I agree with the sentiment. My biggest gripe is the inconsistency (I got credits all but this time when the front-desk clerk probably entered the wrong PC number).

Of course I wish more stays at more rates qualified for points as well.

I have an interesting one on the go at the moment - I stayed at the CP Dublin Airport a few weeks ago. Booked a standard breakfast flex rate through the PC website the day before.

When the points didn't appear automatically, I used the discrepancy form on the website to send it in (along with a stay in HI Munich City Centre which hadn't appeared either).

I got an email back stating that the HI Munich points had been added OK, but on examination of the CP Dublin stay they had:

Since when has priorityclub.com become a third party?!? :confused:

I've mailed them back and will keep at them.